


Gellert's Mistake

by AlbusGellertAlways



Series: Grindeldore Oneshots [24]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus doesn't help, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bathilda ships it, Canon Gay Relationship, Consent Issues, Established Relationship, Gellert is a jerk, M/M, Sexual Content, Summer 1899, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 17:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20679341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlbusGellertAlways/pseuds/AlbusGellertAlways
Summary: Albus tells Gellert about something he doesn't ever want to do in bed.  Gellert doesn't get the message and things quickly fall apart.  Can Bathilda bring the boys back together again, or has Gellert done irreparable damage?





	Gellert's Mistake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Litsetaure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Litsetaure/gifts).

> A/N: Gellert is a jerk in this one. Just remember that he is a sixteen year-old boy and can be selfish at times. Not that it’s an excuse, but yeah. Albus and Gellert are still learning to communicate and certain issues are bound to come up. Remember, even though Gellert loved Albus in canon, he wasn’t above manipulating him (and others) to get what he wanted. I’ve softened that trait of Gellert’s a lot in my other stories, but I really wanted to play it up here. But it’s not THAT dark of a story, I promise. But you will definitely hate Gellert for a bit, at least if I did my job right.

Disclaimer: JKR owns it.

.~.

_Gellert’s Mistake_

.~.

Albus and Gellert had just finished a mind-blowing round of spectacular morning sex. They’d made their love nest of sorts in Gellert’s bedroom in his aunt Bathilda’s house. Thankfully she was out for the day so they could be as loud as they wanted. Still, Albus had insisted on casting a silencing charm, just in case. 

Gellert had been the perfect gentleman. He asked about Albus’ comfort, he kissed his forehead, he reassured Albus that he wasn’t being too loud. He made sure that Albus came first before chasing his own pleasure. Then Gellert had held him afterward, whispering sweet nothings in Albus’ ear just like he wanted. It was the perfect way to start the day.

Feeling invigorated, Albus carefully rolled off his boyfriend. He reached for his wand and cast a quick ‘scourgify’, effectively cleaning them up. The recently graduated Gryffindor stood up and stretched his arms. Then Albus bent down to reach for his underwear, giving Gellert quite a lovely view of his perfectly rounded posterior. 

Gellert just couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity. 

_Smack._

Albus flinched and quickly whirled around, shocked by Gellert’s action. “What the hell are you doing?”

Gellert lazily smirked at his boyfriend. “What does it feel like I’m doing?”

“I told you I don’t like that,” said Albus as he rubbed his backside, which still stung a bit. 

“But Albus, why not?” Gellert whined. 

Albus’ eyes clouded over. “Because I feel it’s degrading.”

Gellert rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not. I’m just being playful. I told you this last week.”

But Albus wasn’t having it. “I just don’t like how it makes me feel.”

“I’ll go lighter next time,” Gellert allowed. “Like I said, it’s just for fun. I don’t actually want to hurt you.”

“That’s not what I mean. I just feel… icky.”

“Icky?” Gellert raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t feel good emotionally when you do that. I feel like you don’t respect me.” Tears began to gather in Albus’ eyes but apparently Gellert didn’t notice.

“Albus, you’ve let me smack your arse before and you didn’t seem to mind,” Gellert reminded him. “What changed?”

“I-I don’t know. I was trying it out, seeing if I would get used to it because you like doing it so much. But I didn’t get used to it. I’m allowed to change my mind.”

Gellert sighed. “Albus, look, I respect you. I’ve never respected anyone more. Your talent, your wit, your love… I am so lucky to have you.”

Albus narrowed his eyes as he waited for what was to come next.

“Don’t you trust me?” Gellert placed his hands on Albus’ shoulders and stared deeply into his eyes. “Come on, Albus. It’s not that big of a deal. It really means a lot to me if you let me do this.”

Albus jerked away from Gellert’s touch, as if scalded. “Why are you pushing me on this?” Albus’ voice grew louder. “I’ve done _everything _you’ve asked of me in bed. This is the only thing I don’t want to do. I need you to respect that.”

“But you liked everything else we’ve done,” Gellert pointed out. “We’d still just be doing missionary if you had your way. You’re welcome.”

“That’s not the point!” Albus bellowed, balling his hands at his sides. “You haven’t done the one thing that I’ve asked for. You haven’t let me take you. You haven’t even let me stretch you to see if you like the sensation. But I haven’t pushed. I know you would tell me if you changed your mind.”

Gellert’s expression darkened. “That’s not the same.”

“Yes, it is. Don’t you trust me?” Albus threw Gellert’s earlier words back in his face.

“That’s not fair, Albus.”

“Of course it is.” Albus glared at him. “You’re too scared to let go, even with me. The high and mighty Gellert Grindelwald must be in control at all times.” 

“Is that truly what you think of me? Fine, Albus. You know, maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to smack your arse if you weren’t flaunting it all the time,” Gellert leered. 

“_Flaunting_?” Albus was livid. He’d never wanted to punch someone as he did in that moment, but he managed to refrain. “Are you fucking kidding me? I was just bending over to grab my underwear. Dammit, Gellert, why didn’t you listen to me last week when I told you not to do that again?”

Gellert frowned. “But Albus, I didn’t-”

“Save it,” Albus snarled, reaching for his wand and pointing it at Gellert. “I can’t be with someone who treats me like a piece of meat.”

Gellert’s expression turned to one of horror. “Albus, please, I-”

“Silencio!” Albus effectively cut off Gellert’s excuses. All he could think of was getting as far away from Gellert as possible. He had to get home, where he was supposed to be in the first place.

“Accio.” Albus called his clothes to him and quickly dressed. He ignored Gellert frantically signaling at him. “I’m done. Goodbye, Gellert.” He grabbed their pendant that was resting on the dresser and held it up for Gellert to see. It swung back and forth like a metronome that was ticking out Gellert’s doom. “You don’t get to keep this – not after how you treated me. _Don’t _follow me.” 

With that, Albus stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t stop until he reached the Dumbledore home.

.~.

The next day, Bathilda Bagshot knocked on Albus’ front door. She noted that the Dumbledore home looked like it was in a state of disrepair. The white paint on the bricks was peeling. Several shingles on the roof were missing. The yard was also overgrown with weeds and bushes reaching out in all directions. Bathilda supposed that Albus had his hands full with taking care of his siblings that he simply didn’t have time to take care of the yard or the house. She had the idea that Gellert should come over an offer his services, but then she remembered the reason why she had come.  
  
Inside the house, Albus was jolted awake by an insistent knocking. He got up to answer the door, hoping it wasn’t another creditor come to call. He could barely afford to feed his family, much less pay the mortgage. He’d applied for a second loan at Gringotts but it was still being processed. Surely it wouldn’t be Gellert. Of either of those options, right now the creditors sounded more favorable. With dread rising in his stomach, he bravely opened the door.  
  
When he saw it was Bathilda, he couldn’t help but glare at the famous author. Clearly she was there on Gellert’s behalf.

Bathilda looked determined as she faced off against him. “Albus, I’m here to-”  
  
“I don’t want to see him,” Albus coldly interrupted. He crossed his arms. Albus glanced behind him to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard and cast a silencing charm to be safe before he responded. “He lost his chance with me.”  
  
“Will you come over and speak with him? I don’t know what he did to drive you away, but he’s really hurting, Albus,” Bathilda pleaded.  
  
“Good,” Albus sneered. “He deserves it.”  
  
The venom in his voice shocked Bathilda. The middle-aged witch knew Albus to be a reasonable boy who was slow to anger. What Gellert has done to make Albus act so coldly?   
  
“Albus, please! Gellert might have done something awful to you but he’s still my nephew and I don’t want to see him in pain.”  
  
“Some things are unforgivable,” Albus said, his voice frosty.  
  
Bathilda stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re fighting and I don’t want to get in the middle of it, but Gellert won’t come out of his room. He hasn’t eaten or drank since yesterday morning. I’m terribly worried about his condition.”  
  
A pang of guilt surfaced in Albus’ chest. “What?”  
  
“I’ve left food and water on a tray outside his door but he hasn’t touched it. I’ve tried to get him to open the door but he won’t hardly talk to me. I don’t know what to do.” Bathilda was trembling as she appealed to Albus’ good nature. “I’d rather not force my way in if I don’t have to. Albus, I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.”  
  
Albus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly as he considered Bathilda’s request. “Alright. I’ll be right over,” he decided. “Let me go grab something.”  
  
Bathilda waited patiently outside until Albus returned. She noticed that he was now wearing Gellert’s pendant but decided not to comment on it.  
  
They walked the familiar path to Bathilda’s modest home. Bathilda let him in and directed Albus toward the stairs. But Albus made no move to climb them. 

No matter, Bathilda would get to the bottom of this. She patted the spot on the sofa next to her. Albus gratefully took a seat.  
  
Bathilda smoothed her navy blue skirts before she began her inquisition. “Now, Albus, what happened between you two?”  
  
“Well, we were...” Albus blushed as he tried to figure out just how much to share without being too explicit. “You know. Together in bed.”  
  
“Yes, quite,” said Bathilda, sounding mildly amused.  
  
Albus sighed, nervously wringing his hands. “Well, it’s like this. Gellert wanted to make me do something I didn’t want to, even though we’d already talked about it a week ago. Once again, I told him no and he just made light of it. Then he tried to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. I _hate_ it when he does that! We got into an argument and he said something that really hurt my feelings. To be fair, I might've provoked him, but he was treating me like... pardon the expression, like shit. So I left and told him we were done. I even took our pendant.” A few tears leaked out of Albus’ eyes as he absentmindedly fingered their pendant that held drops of their blood intermixed. “I didn’t want to hurt him, but he hurt me so badly that I lashed out. But I’m baffled, Miss Bagshot. Gellert is usually so cognizant of my needs. I don’t understand why he acted like that.”  
  
Bathilda heaved a sigh. “What has Gellert told you about his family situation?”  
  
Albus shrugged. “Just that his mum died of dragon pox when he was ten and that he has a strained relationship with his father.”  
  
Bathilda pursed her lips as she considered how much to tell. She’d prefer for Gellert to tell Albus himself but that wasn’t an option at the moment. “ It’s a tragic story. After his mother’s death, Gellert’s father didn’t want anything to do with him because Gellert looks so much like his mother. He didn’t want to be reminded of his late wife. Especially since Gellert’s mother had heterochromia.”  
  
“What?” Albus gasped as he digested what Gellert’s childhood must’ve been like. “How could he be so heartless?”  
  
“Gellert had to learn to manipulate his father to get his basic needs met.” Bathilda didn’t say any more, she just let that sink in.  
  
“That’s awful. He never told me that.” Albus sounded subdued.   
  
“That doesn’t make it right what Gellert did to you,” said Bathilda. She shook her head. “I really should smack him upside the head for acting like such an arse to you.”  
  
Albus gave a tiny chuckle at her uncharacteristic use of language.  
  
“But you should know that Gellert is trying to work on not manipulating others. He tried it on me when he first came to live with me.” Bathilda gave a little titter. “As if I would stand for it. I immediately called him on it and now he’s been doing much better.”  
  
“I wish he’d told me about all this,” said Albus with a sigh. “Then I would’ve understood why he was acting that way and called him on it.”  
  
“I wish he had too,” said Bathilda, patting Albus’ hand. “It would’ve saved you both a lot of heartache. Gellert was terrified when he told me that you left him. He said he’d made a terrible mistake and said that he would do anything to make it right. That was all I could get out of him through the door.”  
  
“Poor Gell.” Albus wiped away the tears that were gathering in corners of his eyes. “Do you think I was too harsh on him?”  
  
“Not necessarily. He should’ve respected your wishes,” Bathilda gave him a knowing look. “Albus, I think I need to have a talk with you, the same talk I would have with my daughter if I had one.”  
  
Albus blushed. “I don’t think that talk exactly applies to Gellert and I.”  
  
Bathilda chuckled. “Perhaps not, but one thing does apply. I would tell my daughter that teenage boys will constantly push her boundaries.”

Albus looked pensive. “But I’m a boy and I don’t want to push Gellert into anything he’s not ready for. I mean, it would be nice if he did something that I really wanted, but I wouldn't manipulate him into it.”

Bathilda leaned over and gently touched his cheek. “Albus, dear, you are too sweet and innocent for this world.”  
  
Albus declined to tell her all the violent ways that he’d dreamed of torturing the muggle boys who had harmed his sister, as well as all the naughty things he and Gellert had done in bed. He’d rather her keep this innocent perception of him in case she ever wrote about him in one of her books.  
  
“I’d also say most boys want to advance sexually as quickly as they can,” Bathilda added. “I imagine Gellert falls into that category. That’s how he is wired.”  
  
“I never quite felt the same. I was more interested in the romantic aspects of a relationship, but yes, that tallies with most of my male classmates at Hogwarts,” said Albus.  
  
Bathilda nodded and continued. “But it is up to the girl, or in this case, you, to tell the boy when he needs to stop pushing. You must stand up for yourself, even if Gellert keeps trying to persuade you otherwise.”  
  
“I know, I did that last week,” said Albus, sounding frustrated. “And I thought he finally got it. But then yesterday it was like he completely forgot our conversation.”

“Did you tell him that you didn’t want to do whatever it was permanently?” Bathilda pressed.

Albus frowned. “Well, no… I thought that was self-explanatory.”

“Albus,” Bathilda sighed. “Let me tell you something and it will be one of the most important things you need to know about most men. If you want them to do as you ask, you can’t drop hints. You must be as direct as possible.”

“But I did that.”

“Yes, but did you say that you _never_ wanted to do it again?”

Albus thought about it. “Well, no. Not in so many words.”

“There you have it. Gellert must’ve thought you didn’t want to do it _that day_. I honestly don’t think he made the connection that you meant permanently. If he had, I doubt he would’ve pushed you a second time.”

“Oh no,” Albus breathed, his chest constricting as he realized what must’ve happened. “He was trying to explain himself and I placed a silencing charm on him. I know I shouldn’t have done that, I was just so upset. How do I fix this?”

“Go to him and make this right,” Bathilda said firmly. “And try not to upset him further.” 

Albus was already on his feet. “I will.” Then he bounded up the stairs two at a time, determined to undo this misunderstanding. He stuck the pendant underneath his shirt for the time being, wanting to reveal it at an opportune moment.

.~.

When Albus reached Gellert’s bedroom door, he knocked softly.

“Go away, Tante,” Gellert’s voice was muffled, but Albus could hear the note of despair in his hoarse voice, as if he’d been crying. _He’d_ done that to Gellert. 

Albus cleared his throat nervously before speaking. “Gellert, it’s me.”

Predictably, Gellert didn’t answer.

“Please let me in,” Albus tried.

“I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

“We need to talk about what happened, Gell.”

Albus thought the nickname would do the trick. As he’d expected, Gellert slowly opened the door. Then he sank to his knees before Albus, in tears as he stumbled over his words. 

“I-I’m so sorry, Albie. I promise I’ll n-never do it again. Please, you _have_ to b-believe me. It was a mistake, I never meant to hurt you-”

But Albus wasn’t having it. He crossed his arms and slightly shook his head. “No theatrics, Gellert. That’s not going to work on me. Sit in your chair and we will calmly discuss this matter like adults.”  
  
Albus pulled out the chair from Gellert’s desk and directed him over to the chair. 

Gellert sat.

Albus took a seat across from him on the bed. “Now, say what you need to say. I will listen.” Albus’ heart was thudding in his chest. Everything depended on how this conversation went, not just concerning their relationship but their future plans as well.  
  
Gellert took a few agonizing minutes to calm himself before he spoke. “Albus, I am truly sorry for what I did. I didn’t realize you didn’t want me to do that forever. I thought that, if I didn’t do it for a week, when I tried it again you might have a more favorable answer.”  
  
“You didn’t even ask me if you could smack me!” Albus struggled to keep the emotion out of his voice. “You just... did it. I didn’t give you my consent. That really hurt me.”  
  
“I know.” Gellert hung his head. “It was stupid.”  
  
“You think?” Albus glared at him.

“I don’t know what came over me." Gellert colored. "I have urges that just... well. That doesn’t matter. I can master them. Especially when it’s something that’s important to you. I genuinely didn’t know you meant forever. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have done it. I tried to explain this to you, but you silenced me.”  
  
Albus blushed. “Yeah, that wasn’t my best move. Nor was when I accused you of being high and mighty. I bet that scared you, huh?”  
  
Gellert nodded. He pulled his knees up on the chair and hugged them. “I deserved it, though. But the worst was when you took the pendant. That was when I knew I’d lost you. And I don’t know what I can do to get you back. What I did was unforgivable.” He sniffed and wiped his eyes.   
  
Albus reached under his shirt and pulled out the pendant that he’d been wearing around his neck. “I always kept it close to me, but I think you should have it back.”  
  
Gellert’s eyes widened. “Does…does that mean that we can still be together? That you’ll take me back?”  
  
Albus nodded with a little smile before turning serious. “Yes, but I have conditions.”  
  
A tearful Gellert gave a choked sound as he pulled Albus close. They stumbled onto the bed, where Albus allowed Gellert to hold him. He wanted to relax into his boyfriend’s arms, but there was still much to be said.  
  
“Anything. Name it,” said Gellert. “I will do whatever you ask, as long as you’ll be mine again.” He turned over so he could look directly at Albus.  
  
Albus listed his terms. “Please remember to treat me as a person with feelings. Until further notice, no touching my arse – at all. Also, no comments about how round it is or how pert or how it just is begging you to smack it.”  
  
“Alright,” Gellert said quietly.  
  
“About the comments, that’s not forever - in the right circumstance, I do feel flattered that you are attracted to me and my... attributes. But not now. Not until I say so. Got it?”  
  
“Got it.”  
  
“And absolutely no more smacking my arse. That’s a hard limit for me unless I say otherwise. And no trying to persuade me to change my mind. Understand?” Albus gave him a knowing look.  
  
“I understand loud and clear.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“Do you... forgive me?” Gellert hesitantly asked.  
  
Albus sighed. “I do forgive you but it’s going to take a little while before I feel safe with you in bed. I’ll need to go slow.”  
  
“We can do that,” Gellert said, relieved. “What does that entail?”  
  
“Thank you for asking for clarification.” Albus smiled at him and Gellert cautiously smiled back. “Just cuddling and making out for now.”  
  
“Thanks. I’m surprised you’d let me do that much. If our positions were reversed, I’m not sure if I would. I thought about that a lot while I was holed up in here. I realized that I was so in the wrong.”  
  
Albus nodded. “While that’s true, if you’d just been honest with me about your past, I would’ve been more understanding about your default behavior being manipulation to get what you want. I would’ve given you a ‘free pass’.”  
  
“What’s that?” Gellert frowned.  
  
“It’s something mentally I do whenever you say something stupid and insensitive so I don’t start a fight.”  
  
“Do you do that a lot?” Gellert looked apprehensive.  
  
“A bit.” Albus evaded the question. “I try to cut you slack when you have a bad day or if you’re tired or stressed.”  
  
“That’s... very kind of you. I should probably do the same. Perhaps it would help me control my temper.”  
  
Albus chuckled. “It couldn’t hurt.”

A few minutes of silence trickled by before Gellert was brave enough to speak.  
  
“So are we alright now?” Gellert pressed.   
  
“Like I said, it will take me a little while for me to trust you. But I’m here in your arms, aren’t I?” Then Albus temporarily pulled away. He removed the pendant from his person and carefully slid their trinket over Gellert’s head. “There. I think you need to wear it more than I do right now.”  
  
Gellert smiled through his tears. “Thanks. For the pendant, and for giving me another chance.”  
  
“I didn’t want to live without you,” Albus confessed. “I was just angry and hurt. I never should've provoked you and I shouldn't have broken it off.”  
  
“Well, I got the message loud and clear,” said Gellert. “I don’t want you to think I see you as a sex object. That couldn’t be further than the truth."  
  
Albus kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Your perception of me is very important to me.”  
  
“I know that now,” said Gellert. He rested his forehead against Albus’. “I should be grateful that you agreed to be in a relationship with me at all. I shouldn’t have tried to manipulate you. It’s second nature to me I’m afraid, due to... never mind.”  
  
But Albus wasn’t going to let this go. “Bathilda told me about your father. But only to make me understand why you did this.”  
  
“That’s fair,” Gellert said heavily. “I should’ve told you about Vater. I was afraid of what you might think.”

Albus raised an eyebrow. “I would never judge you based on the actions of your father. I would be quite the hypocrite if I did.”

“I should’ve known that,” Gellert sighed. “I was just scared to share that part of my past with you. It’s not something I’m proud of. I had to resort to… questionable means to get what I needed. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

Albus’ heart broke for him. “I understand that you were scared, but I hope that someday you’ll feel comfortable enough to confide in me about your past.”

“I’m sure I will, but not now," Gellert said quietly. "Not after your high-and-mighty comment. I'm just not ready for you to take me, but it has nothing to do with me trusting you.”

“That’s fair," said Albus. "I won't bring it up again." Then his expression turned steely. “But if you try to manipulate me again, I won’t stand for it.”  
  
“As you shouldn’t,” said Gellert, looking serious as well. “It’s not a trait that I’m proud of, and with your help, I think I can overcome it.”  
  
“Excellent. Well, I think that covers everything,” said Albus. He squeezed Gellert’s hand. “We should probably tell your aunt that we’ve made up. She’s been worried sick about you.”  
  
“I’m sure she was worried about you as well,” said Gellert. “She thinks of you as family, you know.”

“She seems to be quite fond of me,” Albus said diplomatically. 

“But after we tell her, can we come back up here?” At Albus’ wary expression, Gellert clarified, “I just want to hold you.”

Albus smiled. “I’d like that. I've missed being in your arms, even if it was only for a day.”  
  
With that motivation in mind, they disentangled themselves and rolled off the bed. After they’d straightened up, Albus smiled and offered his hand to his boyfriend. “Shall we?”  
  
Gellert intertwined their fingers, reveling at the contact as they headed downstairs to tell Bathilda the good news.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Did I make Gellert too OOC? Let me know in the comments section! I'm still hard at work on CTB, don't worry. Damn oneshot plot bunnies won't leave me alone.


End file.
